This invention relates to an electric iron and in particular to a control for the thermostat thereof.
Electric steam irons for household use employ a thermostat for regulating the temperature thereof. Typically, an electric heating element is in heat transfer relation with the soleplate to provide heat thereto. A thermostat senses the temperature of the soleplate and regulates the supply of electrical power to the heating element so that a desired operating temperature for the soleplate can be established.
Many present day electric irons use a rotary control knob that is operated by the user and is mounted on either the handle or the saddle portion of the housing of the iron to enable the user to establish a desired operating temperature for the iron. The rotary control knob is directly connected to the thermostat. Other irons known in the prior art use a linear motion control knob in lieu of a rotary control member to enable the user to adjust the set point of the thermostat. The linear motion of the control member is converted to rotary motion via such means as a rack and pinion system to obtain the desired adjustment of the thermostat. An example of the foregoing is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,755.
The designs of the prior art are limited to simple control motions, e.g. rotary or linear and cannot be used if a complex motion is required.
The aesthetic styling of contemporary irons is becoming quite important as it has been found that the shape and appearance of an iron is an important feature in attracting consumer interest in the iron. The trend in styling an iron is to form the iron housing in rather complex shapes. Further, in irons of rather small size, it has been particularly advantageous to mount the user temperature control on the housing saddle.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a user temperature control for the thermostat for an electric iron which can be employed with iron housings having rather complex shapes.